There Henry brought himself up with a jolt. He absolutely refused to
suspect. "I'd jest as soon eat all that's left of the truck myself,"
he thought, "only I couldn't bear candy since I was a child, and I
ain't going to eat it for anybody."

Henry had to pass the Ayres house. Just as he came abreast of it he
heard a hysterical sob, then another, from behind the open windows of
a room on the second floor, whose blinds were closed. Henry made a
grimace and went his way. He was bound for Sidney Meeks's. He found
the lawyer in his office in an arm-chair, which whirled like a top at
the slightest motion of its occupant. Around him were strewn Sunday
papers, all that could be bought. On the desk before him stood a
bottle of clear yellow wine, half-emptied.

Sidney looked up and smiled as Henry entered. "Here I am in a vortex
of crime and misrule," he said, "and I should have been out of my
wits if it had not been for that wine. There's another glass over
there, Henry; get it and help yourself."

"Guess I won't take any now, thank you," said Henry. "It's just
before supper."

"Maybe you are wise," admitted the lawyer. He slouched before Henry
in untidy and unmended, but clean, Sunday attire. Sidney Meeks was as
clean as a gentleman should be, but there was never a crease except
of ease in his clothes, and he was so buttonless that women feared to
look at him closely. "It might go to your head," said Sidney. "It
went to mine a little, but that was unavoidable. After one of those
papers there my head was mighty near being a vacuum."

"What do you read the papers for?" asked Henry.

"Because," said Sidney, "I feel it incumbent upon me to be well
informed concerning two things, although I verily believe it to be
true that I have precious little of either, and they cannot directly
concern me. I want to know about the stock market, although I don't
own a blessed share in anything except an old mine out West on a map;
and I want to know what evil is fermenting in the hearts of men,
though I am pretty sure, in spite of the original sin part of it,
that precious little is fermenting in mine. About three o'clock this
afternoon I came to the conclusion that we were in hell or Sodom, or
else the newspaper men got saved from the general destruction along
with Lot. So I got a bottle of this blessed wine, and now I am fully
convinced that I am on a planet which is the work of the Lord
Almighty, and only created for an end of redempti